Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 7 November 2013

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht

Local Authority Members Association

12:05 pm

Photo of Noel CoonanNoel Coonan (Tipperary North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is nice to have LAMA members here to brief us on what we should be addressing in the forthcoming Bill. In that context, I ask them, if they could make one or two significant changes to it, what would be their No. 1 priority?

We have discussed the welfare and well-being of local representatives, rightly so. As the late Tip O'Neill said, all politics is local. I recall that in its submission the County and City Managers Association stated this legislation could leave local authority members in a vulnerable position. It is important that we focus on that issue. What does LAMA see as its role in the future of local government in terms of the municipal district councils that are being set up?

As the LAMA representatives will be aware, we had a number of groups here this morning when we discussed various matters. That is our role as legislators, to try to make the best possible legislation. One of the groups stated, for example, that the local property tax would make no difference whatsoever to local government. On the other hand, the County and City Managers Association stated it would put local government on a much more sound footing. What is LAMA's view on the issue of the local property tax and the financing of municipal authorities? Will the proposals give local representatives more power and greater capacity to raise funds or will they, as one organisation stated, make no difference whatsoever?

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